In Cold Blood

It was one of the most shocking murders of the 1950s. Some argue that it changed America forever. A famous American author heard about the story and wrote a book about it called In Cold Blood (1966).

The extraordinary life of one of America’s most unusual novelists.

In Cold Blood is about the 1959 killing of Herbert Clutter, his wife, Bonnie Clutter, and their two children. Clutter was a wealthy and successful farmer from Holcomb, Kansas. He employed up to eighteen workers, and he was respected for his fair treatment and good wages. Clutter’s wife, Bonnie, suffered from depression. The Clutters had four children: three girls and a boy. The two eldest, Eveanna and Beverly, had moved out. The two younger children, Nancy (16) and Kenyon (15), were still living at home. The 14th November 1959 seemed to be a perfectly ordinary day. But it wasn’t. Two young men were planning to rob the Clutters.

The two men were Richard Hickock and Perry Smith. At the time, they were on parole from the Kansas State Penitentiary. Inside prison, Richard Hickock had met fellow prisoner, Floyd Wells. Wells had once worked for the Clutters. He told Hickock that there was a safe at the ranch where Herb Clutter kept large amounts of cash. Hickock later contacted Smith about robbing Clutter’s farm. Together, they planned to commit “the perfect score”, then start a new life in Mexico. On the night of 14th November 1959, they drove across the state of Kansas towards Holcomb, to find the Clutter house.